Each week, the great minds behind numberFire will give you some answers to the big questions of the weekend. And why can't Michael make his picks from his honeymoon? Find out all that and more below.
Game of the Week Pick: New York Giants at Philadelphia. Who you got?
Keith Goldner, Chief Analyst: Eagles at home. Offense ranks dead last but they are playing a weak Giants secondary. Plus, I'm obligated to pick my boys.
Nik Bonaddio, CEO: Philly. This is bordering on a must-win for them (as early and potentially ridiculous as it is to say that) and I simply refuse to believe they're as bad as they've looked.
Michael Worthington, CTO: Editor's Note: Naturally, the week I'm trying to set up a Keith vs. Michael argument, Michael's not around. Happy honeymoon!
Sean Weinstock, COO: Philly. As my roommate Max likes to say - their defense is NASTY! This also has to do with emotion for me because, and maybe especially because, even though I now live in New York, I hate all New York sports teams.
Zach Warren, Editor: Michael Vick has been too turnover-prone the past couple of weeks, and the Giants looked simply too strong against the Panthers last week. When in doubt, I go with the trends. Giants it is.
GotW Records: Zach: 2-1, Sean: 1-1, Keith, Nik and Michael: 1-2
Which game this week is your upset special?
Keith: Jacksonville over Cincinnati. Jags are very underrated, especially on defense. If I knew who was favored in Minnesota/Detroit (I assume Detroit, but spreads are not out due to Stafford injury situation), I would probably pick Minnesota.
Nik: Now that MJD is back in full form, I can see the Jags upsetting the Bengals at home.
Michael: *Sips a mojito on the beach*
Sean: Washington over Tampa Bay, and maybe the Purples over Detroit. I'm assigning RGIII a hype quotient, and I was so demoralized by the Vikes beating the Niners last week that I have to believe that they're better than Detroit.
Zach: I like the Vikings over the Lions this week. I’ve been impressed by Minnesota so far this season, wouldn't surprise me at all if that defense found a way to stop Stafford and Megatron.
Upset Special Records: Keith and Zach: 2-1, Sean: 1-1, Nik and Michael: 1-2
Who is more likely to win again: the Vikings or the Chiefs?
Keith: Vikings. They are better than people think and proved it last week against the Niners.
Nik: Chiefs. They looked very solid against the Saints and I'm not sold at all on the Chargers based on how Rivers is throwing the ball.
Michael: *Leaves to go paragliding*
Sean: Vikings...given my last response.
Zach: Tell me if you’ve ever thought you’d read these words: Christian Ponder looks like a man possessed. I really like a bounce back week from the Chargers’ passing attack too; I’m going Vikings.
Who are you picking for a survivor pool this week?
Keith: Houston Texans. Heavy favorites at home against a weak Tennessee team that won predominantly due to special teams magic last week.
Nik: No way Denver loses to Oakland at home. The Steelers handed the Raiders a win on a silver platter; Peyton is not that generous.
Michael: *Look honey, a mariachi band's playing!*
Sean: Seattle. Not sure how much longer they can keep going, but I like what I see in the St. Louis match-up they've got.
Zach: Other than that Ravens/Browns game that Flacco already squeezed out, there aren’t too many options here. I’ll say Patriots if you haven’t used them, but I have, so my selection is Houston.
Survivor Records: Zach: 2-1, Sean 1-1, Keith, Nik, and Michael: 1-2.
Who will be the best currently under-the-radar fantasy player this week?
Keith: Ryan Williams. Beanie Wells is out until week 12, expect him to get a heavy workload moving forward. Also love Christian Ponder going up against Detroit.
Nik: Blaine Gabbert. He's terrible and sub-replacement level, but again, with MJD back in the mix, I think he's a borderline bye-week starter and good for 13-14 points.
Michael: *Comes home exhausted on Sunday, only to see his Giants lay an egg*
Sean: Randy Moss...
Zach: Watch out for Cedric Benson this week. He had an off day against the Seahawks, but I think it’s more telling that they still continued to go to him, even when the Seahawks were stopping the run. And the Saints are a bad defense.
Last week's top under-the-radar pick: Keith's Malcom Floyd pick did the best of the five, but none of them really had huge games.